All is right in New England following Sunday night's 43-17 drubbing of the previously unbeaten Bengals. Six days before, the Patriots were on the receiving end of a beatdown, a 41-14 performance against Kansas City.

Fingers were pointing at everyone following the loss -- coach Bill Belichick, the offensive line, the receivers, the defense and not even 37-year-old future Hall of Famer Tom Brady avoided blame. But after completing 23 of 35 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns against Cincy, Brady has again staved off talk that he's too old and too slow to consistently play at a high level.

And tight end Rob Gronkowski did his part to make sure Brady played like, well, Brady.

"I told my brother before we came to the game, 'I'm going to make 12 look like Tom Brady again today, baby!'" Gronkowski said after the game, via ESPN.com. "And I went out there with my teammates and we made Tom Brady look like Tom Brady after you guys were criticizing him all week, the fans, everything."

Gronk had six catches for 100 yards Sunday, including a touchdown followed by the requisite Gronk Spike.

"It feels so good," he said. "He's such a leader. He went over 50,000 yards today. He's an unbelievable player, and I'm so glad to play with him. ...

"That's why it was so great, all the Brady chants and everything," Gronk continued. "After the first couple of games, we were a little shaky. It's great to come back strong, and he showed that he's still a young buck and he has a lot in his tank left. I'm proud to be playing with him."

When Brady was told of Gronkowski's remarks, he offered this: "I love that guy and everything he's done for this team, and the attitude he brings. He's a phenomenal player. He's been through a lot. Talk about mental toughness -- nobody's got more mental toughness than him."

And just like that, the Patriots are back where we're all accustomed to seeing them: Atop the division and one of the top teams in the AFC.